Mary Beth Westenfield

MS Accounting, Class of 2015

"I enrolled at SNHU for a Master of Science in Accounting to strengthen my skills and knowledge."

I received a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Latin American Studies at a local college. At the time, I looked into being an accountant, but thought there could be nothing more boring. I was awarded a Master of Science in Finance from another nearby university, and began a career as a financial analyst at a few high tech software companies. After I had children, I looked for more flexible schedules and discovered that accountants could have more flexibility at smaller firms than financial analysts could.

Somehow, I suddenly became an accountant at smaller firms, serving as their controller or CFO. I love working as the lead finance and accounting person at smaller firms because you never know what challenges the day will bring, and most days you can go home satisfied with the accomplishments of the day. I love being the business partner who helps the company steer through the financial challenges of being a start-up or a maturing company. I enrolled at SNHU for a Master of Science in Accounting to strengthen my skills and knowledge and to allow me to sit for the CPA exam. My long-term plan is to spend my retirement teaching accounting at the college level either online or in person.